Clamp apparatus



Dec. 10, 1963 'r. G. IJEZOWSKI 3,113;691

CLAMP APPARATUS Filed Nov. 29, 1961 IN V EN TOR. Theodore 62 Jego ws/w' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,113,691 CLAMP APPTUS Theodore G. .lezowski, 4947 d. Flajolc Road, Midland, Mich. Filled Nov. 29, 1961, Ser. No. 155,680 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-9) This invention relates to clamping apparatus and more particularly to apparatus which is especially adapted for use in clamping insulation or the like about the end of a cylindrical or other conventionally shaped tank or container.

This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 33,829, filed June 3, 1960, now Patent No. 3,080,085.

When manufacturing or storing certain kinds of chemicals or other substances, it frequently becomes necessary to deliver the material to a tank in either heated or refrigerated condition. In order to avoid undue heat exchange, it is customary to insulate the tank or container. No particular difliculty is encountered in insulating the body of a cylindrical or other conventionally shaped tank, but there are problems involved in insulating the ends of some tanks, particularly outwardly convex ends of cylindrical body tanks. The type of installation which has been found to be satisfactory for many purposes is blocks of suitable insulating material which are cut and shaped to cover completely the end of the tank. These blocks then must be held in place and they cannot always be glued or bonded inamuch as the bonding material may be adversely affected by either low or high temperatures. Accordingly, it has been the practice to make use of metal bands that overlie the insulation blocks and are anchored to securing devices of one kind or another that are fixed to the tank body. While the use of bands to maintain the blocks of insulation in place is satisfactory in itself, considerable difiiculty and expense have been encountered in providing suitable anchoring devices for the bands. As might well be expected, not all of the tanks or containers are uniform in size, so it has been the practice heretofore to construct anchoring devices at the job site and for the individual containers involved. As a consequence, the time and cost of insulating such containers have been rather excessive.

An object of this invention is to provide improved apparatus for use in clamping insulation or the like on the ends of a cylindrical or other conventionally shaped tank or container.

Another object of the invention is to provide clamping apparatus of the kind referred to which may be manufactured in uniform length rolls prior to its use and wherein one or more lengths may be cut from such rolls and so arranged, without modification, as to encircle the body of the container on which the insulation is to be installed.

A further object of the invention is to provide insulation clamping apparatus which readily lends itself to mass production techniques and which is capable of use with varying size containers.

A further object of the invention is to provide clamping apparatus of the kind referred to which is simple and economical in construction but rugged and durable in use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide improved means for fastening a clamping strip or length about a container.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out specifically or will become apparent from the following description when it is considered in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of either the top or bottom of a tank having insulation blocks retained thereon by means of apparatus formed according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged, side elevation of a support strip;

FEGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary top plan view of the clamp apparatus; and

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view illustrating the clamping means of the invention.

Apparatus constructed in accordance with the disclosed embodiment of the invention is adapted for use in connection with a hollow container or tank 1 having a cylindrical or other suitably shaped body wall fitted with an outwardly convex head or end. It is the practice in the manufacture of tanks such as the tank 1 to form the body and head separately from one another and then join them together by suitable means such as welding. A typical example of such a tank is disclosed more fully in the drawing of the above identified application.

Apparatus formed according to the disclosed embodiment of the invention comprises a support member or strap 5 composed preferably of one length or strip 6 of flexible steel or iron having side edges 6m and 6b. The strip is provided with laterally extending, substantially planar projections or anchor members 7 that may be struck out and bent away from the body of the strip. Alternate projections are bent toward the edge 6a of the strip and the intermediate projections are bent toward the other edge 61') so that the projections present a staggered appearance, as is best shown in FIGURE 2, but all projections extend in the same direction laterally from the plane of the strip. As a result of the projections 7 being struck out from the strip, there is an opening 9 formed in the strip adjacent each projection, the size of the opening corresponding to the size of the associated projection. The length of each projection conveniently may be about 1.75 inches and they may be spaced about three inches apart, but other lengths and spacings may be utilized as long as the size and spacing of the openings 9 are uniform and as long as the length of the projections does not interfere with rolling of the strip 6. Each of the projections 7 is provided with an opening 10 therein for a purpose presently to be explained.

The strip a ordinarily will be supplied in rolls of one hundred feet from which may be cut a section of such length as to extend substantially completely around the particular tank on which it is to be mounted. When it is desired to assemble the clamping apparatus on a tank, one or more of the sections 6, depending on the size of the tank and the size of the sections, may be curved about the body of the tank adjacent one end so as to encircle the tank body.

Should one section 6 be of insnfiicient length completely to encircle the body wall of the tank, one or more additional sections 6 may be coupled with the first section, and the individual sections secured one to another by clamping members 12 comprising a pair of relatively short strips 13 of material similar to that previously referred to, each of the strips -13 having a pair of projecting tabs 14 struck out therefrom so as to extend at an acute angle to the strip. Each tab is of such size as to fit in any one of the openings 9' in the strip sections 6, and the tabs are so spaced from one another as to correspond to the spacing between the openings 9. Each strip 13- terminates at one end in a right-angular attaching or clamp wing 15 having an opening 16 in which may be received the shank of a headed bolt 17.

Preferably the width of the wing 15 is not as great as the width of the strip 13. The diiference in width between the two sections should be such that the edges of the wing 15 will be substantially in the planes of the staggered projoctions 7 when the strips are assembled. In other words,

the width of the wing 15 should correspond to the staggered dimension of the projections 7. The purpose of this construction will become apparent presently.

In the application of the apparatus to the tank body, the support 5, composed of one or more sections 6, will be curved to conform to the configuration of the body with the projections 7 extending radially outwardly of the member 5. A pair of mounting sections 13 will be attached to the strip, one at each end of the latter, by inserting the tabs 14 through the two openings 9 at the associated end of the strip 6. The bolt 17 then may be passed through the openings 16 in the wings 15 and a nut 18 may be threaded onto the bolt so as to draw the wings together, thereby clamping the strip 6 tightly about the tank body.

In the event it becomes necessary to cut one of the sections 6 in order to provide a clamping strip having a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the tank body, it is a simple matter to cut the strip between a pair of projections 7, thereby permitting a section of any desired length to be associated with any other section. If two sections are required to be joined together to provide a member long enough to encircle the container, the parts 13, 17 and 18 may be used to connect the sections one to another.

When the clamp structure 5 has been placed in position on the tank body and clamped tightly thereagainst, insulation blocks 19 may be located on the end wall of the tank. The blocks adjacent the strip 6 will bear against and be supported by the projections 7 adjacent the upper edge of the strip, and without any interference from the wings of the anchor members. The insulation blocks may be held in place by metal bands 2% which may be looped through the openings 10 in the projections 7 adjacent the lower edge of the strip 6. If desired, a central, concentric anchor ring of the kind shown in the above identified application may be located at the center of the end wall of the tank and around which the bands 20 may be looped, the ends of the bands being secured to one another in any conventional manner so as to enable the bands to hold the insulation blocks in place. Alternatively, the bands 20 may extend from one side of the clamp apparatus 5 to the other, completely across the end wall of the tank, as is shown in FIGUREv 1, so as to be anchored solely to the projections adjacent the lower edge of the strip 6. In either event, the clamp apparatus disclosed herein serves to anchor the bands 20 in tight engagement with the insulation blocks 19 and hold the latter in place.

The staggered arrangement of the projections 7 serves two main purposes: it provides a line of support for the insulation blocks and provides clearance between the blocks and the projections to which the strips 29 are secured, thereby facilitating the anchoring of such strips regardless of whether the end or the side walls of the tank are insulated first.

The disclosed embodiment is illustrative of a presently preferred form of the invention but is intended to be representative rather than definitive thereof. The invenis defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for clamping insulation or the like on a container, said apparatus comprising strap means having parallel edges and being of such length as to encircle said container with its opposite ends adjacent one another, portions of said strap means being struck out therefrom to provide substantially planar anchor members extending substantially radially outwardly of said strap means and being substantially parallel to said edges, the striking out of said anchor members providing openings in said strap means having side edges perpendicular to said edges of said strap means; a clamping member at each end of said strap means, each of said clamping members having at least one tab struck out therefrom at an acute angle and received in one of the openings in said strap means and gripping a side edge of said opening; and means on each of said clamping members operable to draw the adjacent ends of said members and said strap means together to clamp said strap means tightly about said container.

2.. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein alternate anchor members are staggered between the edges of said strap means.

3. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said anchor members has an opening therein.

4. The apparatus set forth in claim 1 wherein the size of the openings in said strap means corresponds substantially to the width of the tabs on said clamping members.

5. Apparatus for clamping insulation or the like on a container, said apparatus comprising strap means having parallel edges and being of such length as to encircle said container with its opposite ends adjacent to but spaced from one another, portions of said strap means being struck out therefrom at uniform intervals to provide substantially planar anchor members extending substantially radially outwardly of said strap means and being substantially parallel to said edges, the striking out of said anchor members providing uniformly spaced openings in said strap means having side edges perpendicular to said edges of said strap means; a clamping member at each end of said strap means and together substantially spanning the space between the opposite ends of said strap means, each of said clamping members having a plurality of spaced apart tabs struck out therefrom at an acute angle, the spacing between said adjacent tabs corresponding to the spacing between adjacent openings in said strap means, the tabs of each of said clamping members being received in the openings adjacent the opposite ends of said strap means and gripping a side edge of the openings through which they extend; and clamp means on each of said clamping members operable to draw the adjacent ends of said strap means and said clamping members together to clamp said strap means tightly about said container.

6. The apparatus set forth in claim 5 wherein alternate anchor members are bent toward one edge of said strap and the remaining anchor members are bent toward the other edge of said strap, whereby said anchor members are staggered.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said clamp means are so located on said clamping members as to lie between the planes formed by alternate anchor members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,360,688 Romig Nov. 30, 1920 1,601,612 Edwards Sept. 218, 1926 2,109,529 Goddard Mar. 1, 1938 2,318,946 Kass May 11, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 261,549 Great Britain Nov. 25, 1926 

5. APPARATUS FOR CLAMPING INSULATION OR THE LIKE ON A CONTAINER, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING STRAP MEANS HAVING PARALLEL EDGES AND BEING OF SUCH LENGTH AS TO ENCIRCLE SAID CONTAINER WITH ITS OPPOSITE ENDS ADJACENT TO BUT SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER, PORTIONS OF SAID STRAP MEANS BEING STRUCK OUT THEREFROM AT UNIFORM INTERVALS TO PROVIDE SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR ANCHOR MEMBERS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID STRAP MEANS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID EDGES, THE STRIKING OUT OF SAID ANCHOR MEMBERS PROVIDING UNIFORMLY SPACED OPENINGS IN SAID STRAP MEANS HAVING SIDE EDGES PERPENDICULAR TO SAID EDGES OF SAID STRAP MEANS; A CLAMPING MEMBER AT EACH END OF SAID STRAP MEANS AND TOGETHER SUBSTANTIALLY SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID STRAP MEANS, EACH OF SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART TABS STRUCK OUT THEREFROM AT AN ACUTE ANGLE, THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT TABS CORRESPONDING TO THE SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT OPENINGS IN SAID STRAP MEANS, THE TABS OF EACH OF SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS BEING RECEIVED IN THE OPENINGS ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID STRAP MEANS AND GRIPPING A SIDE EDGE OF THE OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH THEY EXTEND; AND CLAMP MEANS ON EACH OF SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS OPERABLE TO DRAW THE ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID STRAP MEANS AND SAID CLAMPING MEMBERS TOGETHER TO CLAMP SAID STRAP MEANS TIGHTLY ABOUT SAID CONTAINER. 